This invention relates to a low cost combined air cleaner and resonator assembly for vehicle engine air supply systems.
Typically, a vehicle engine is supplied with a source of cleaned air. The air passes through an air cleaner on the way to an inlet manifold. Historically, the air cleaner has been mounted somewhere adjacent to the vehicle in a separate air cleaner housing. Somewhere between the air cleaner and the inlet manifold, modem air supply systems typically include a resonator to reduce engine noise. The resonator is typically an enlarged volume that serves to deaden noise passing from the engine back outwardly through the air supply passage.
The use of the two separate components, namely the air cleaner and the resonator, requires assembly steps for each, and a resultant cost to supply each of the two as separate components. As in all aspects of modem vehicle design, it would be desirable to provide a low cost alternative.